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Afterwards, we lay curled together on the bed, half covered in the sheets, and she fell asleep. I murmured the word to turn down the lamps, but left them on just enough to see her face. Her eyes were closed and her lashes rested on her cheeks.
I had thought she was a fraud. I could have kicked myself. She’d been honest from the moment I’d met her at that party in Club Vee. I’d been the fraud, pretending I wasn’t attracted to her, that she meant nothing to me. But she was so perfect. How could an evil man like me ever hope to be worthy of her? She was better off with the vampires. At least they were as nature made them, and even they did less harm these days.
I had chosen my path. Apprenticing to Lambert had been a dream. He’d paid attention to a lonely boy who had no one else, and he’d known how to mold and shape my magic. I was powerful now, far more than I ever would have been without his help. And yet, all I could do was regret the things I had done. All the people I’d hurt. All the evil I’d caused.
I sighed. I didn’t chase power anymore. Instead, I just tried to do some good. The aquarium had been my way to do that, quietly, behind the scenes. And Lambert had to ruin even that.
Because I was sure now that he was behind all of the weirdness and the strange happenings, and that he’d kidnapped Delphine and tried to hurt her—all because of me. He’d been so furious when I’d told him I couldn’t do it anymore. I was walking away from that life.
I’d been sure that he wouldn’t come here. Silver Springs was full of too many supernaturals and witches. He’d be recognized here for the evil that rotted his soul. I’d been wrong and he’d hurt Delphine. I ran my hand over head, allowing my magic to search for any lingering effects from the crash. She seemed fine. She didn’t have a concussion and there was nothing to heal.
I couldn’t believe it. I pulled her into my arms and pressed my lips to her hair.
She murmured in her sleep.
“Yes,” I whispered. “You’re safe now. I won’t let him hurt you.”
A few hours later there was a knock on my door, and I opened it to find two vampires and a worried shifter.
“Is she alive?” Hudson asked.
I nodded, keeping my expression bland.
Levi asked, “You didn’t hurt her?”
“Now, I wouldn’t say that,” I murmured, remembering the tiny little imprints that the golden chain had left.
Roman jumped forward, his fangs out, and I lazily raised a hand with magic curling in my palm.
“I didn’t do anything to her she didn’t ask for.”
“Oh,” he said, dropping back again. Then his eyes narrowed. “You acknowledge she’s your mate?”
I shook my head. “No, no woman deserves to be stuck with me.”
He frowned. “That’s not a choice you get to make.”
“More importantly, was it your old mentor that attacked her?” Levi asked.
“Yes, I’m sure of it,” I said. “We need to find him, but we can’t leave her alone. He knows my spells and wards too well.”
“Then we’ll leave one of us here,” Roman said, looking at all of us. “I’ll stay, and you three go.”
“No,” Hudson said. “I can stay.”
Roman shook his head. “I have a better chance against a dark magician than you do.”
“You think he doesn’t know vampire tricks?” Hudson asked with a lazy roll of his shoulders. “I will be a surprise.”
“But one easily quelled,” I said. “I’m sorry, Hudson, but Roman’s right. He should stay with Delphine. In fact, I wonder if you shouldn’t take her somewhere away from here.”
“Somewhere public,” Levi said, “with lots of people around.”
“Done,” Roman said.
“And we’ll hunt down Lambert,” I said.
Delphine
